Seniors, Wellness and Social Development
July 4, 2016

Supporting Our Aging Population

Healthy Aging Research Program Funds Seven Projects

Seven research projects that focus on healthy aging have received a total of $87,500 through the Newfoundland and Labrador Healthy Aging Research Program. The program provides support for a wide range of research related to the utilization of health care services, chronic pain and health care education for seniors.

�Our government is committed to supporting seniors to live healthy, independent lives while participating fully in their communities. By 2025, 25 per cent of our population will be seniors. Funding research projects that focus on healthy aging will help us to meet current demands, prepare for our rapidly aging population and generally improve health and wellness outcomes for seniors.�
- The Honourable Sherry Gambin-Walsh, Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development

The Healthy Aging Research Program is administered by the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research at Memorial University. The centre facilitates health research designed to address practical issues through its grants and awards programs and is committed to sharing knowledge and building capacity in communities.

�The Healthy Aging Research Program has been an excellent form of support for interesting local research on issues of great importance in the area of healthy aging. It has been a real pleasure for the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research to collaborate with the government on this joint venture.�
- Dr. Stephen Bornstein, Director, Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research

The Healthy Aging Research Program provides funding for student awards, faculty awards, and research grants to support research on issues of relevance to the Provincial Healthy Aging Policy Framework. Since its inception in 2008, the Healthy Aging Research Program has provided close to $1.2 million in support of research into healthy aging. This year�s selected projects are listed in the backgrounder below.

For more information on the Newfoundland and Labrador Healthy Aging Research Program, visit: www.swsd.gov.nl.ca/seniors/research.html.

QUICK FACTS

• Seven research projects that focus on healthy aging have received a total of almost $87,500 through the Provincial Government�s Healthy Aging Research Program.
• The program, funded through the Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development and administered by the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research at Memorial University, provides support for a wide range of research related to the utilization of health care services, chronic pain and health care education for seniors.
• Since its inception in 2008, the program has provided close to $1.2 million for research into healthy aging.
• For more information on the Newfoundland and Labrador Healthy Aging Research Program, visit: www.swsd.gov.nl.ca/seniors/research.html.

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Media contacts:

Roger Scaplen Director of Communications Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development 709-729-0928, 697-5267 rogerscaplen@gov.nl.ca

Tyrone White Manager of Finance, Awards, IT and Administration Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research 709-777-7973 tkwhite@mun.ca

Healthy Aging Research Program Recipients

Project Grants: These grants enable a team of local and national /international researchers to be assembled to conduct research on a topic related to healthy aging.

• Erin Cameron - The Female Aging Body (FAB) Project: Understanding Perspectives on Health, Body Image, and the Aging Body to Inform Healthy Aging Policy and Practice ($27,500).
• Peter Wang - Prevention of Colorectal Cancer with Lifestyle Modifications bridging research, health awareness and practice in Newfoundland and Labrador ($30,000).

Master�s Research Grants: This grant category helps Master�s candidates in covering the cost of their research and dissemination.

• Douglas Dorward - The Necessity of the Patient Sitting Alone in a Quiet Room for the Measurement of Blood Pressure Using a BpTRU Device ($5,000).
• Beraki Abraha - Can exercise stimulate the brain? Measuring the effects of vigorous exercise on brain excitability in older people with chronic stroke ($5,000).
• Ishor Sharma - Dietary Inflammatory Index and its impact on colorectal cancer patients� survival: a population based cohort study in Newfoundland ($5,000).

Doctoral Dissertation Award: This grant category helps doctoral candidates in covering the cost of their research and dissemination.

• Mei Li - Family Caregiver Experiences in Rural Newfoundland and Labrador: The Challenge of Patient Relocation to Receive Treatment ($7,500).
• Jill Bruneau - Developing and Testing a Cardiovascular Health Assessment Screening Program for Health Aging ($7,500).

2016 07 04                             2:55 p.m.